DHL Stormers fall short in Sydney
A last-gasp try from the Waratahs saw them claim a dramatic 34-27 victory against the DHL Stormers in Sydney on Saturday.
The second round Vodacom Super Rugby clash went right down to the wire, with the teams tied at 27-27 until the dying stages when the Waratahs came up with a fourth try to claim the spoils.
The DHL Stormers showed plenty of intent from the start, as they took the game to the Waratahs and dominated territory and possession, but the home team would strike first with a penalty from flyhalf Bernard Foley.
It did not take long for the DHL Stormers to hit the front as they won the ball back from the restart and after some deft touches from SP Marais and Raymond Rhule, loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff thundered over for his first DHL Stormers try.
The Waratahs got the lead back with their first try as fullback Israel Folau won a high ball to race away and score.
The DHL Stormers were back on level terms through a Marias penalty, but the hosts went back in front when captain Michael Hooper scored from a line-out.
The DHL Stormers refused to give in and piled pressure on the Waratahs, which paid off when flank Kobus van Dyk got on the end of a clever chip through from Dewaldt Duvenage and score in the corner. The touchline conversion from Marais saw the teams go into the half-time break locked up at 17-17.
The hosts made a positive start to the second half with an early try from hooker Damien Fitzpatrick, but the scores were level again soon afterwards as the DHL Stormers capitalised on a series of dominant scrums, with Marais darting over to make it 24-24 with 30 minutes left.
Waratahs lock Rob Simmons was shown a yellow card for taking out a player at a line-out, but the DHL Stormers were not able to take full advantage.
Both teams kicked penalties to take the game right down to the wire, but the Waratahs would score after the hooter through flank Ned Hanigan to claim the win.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Kitshoff, Van Dyk, Marais
Cons: Marais 3
Pens: Marais 2
For Waratahs:
Tries: Folau, Hooper, Fitzpatrick, Hadigan
Cons: Foley 4
Pens: Foley 2
DHL Stormers: 15 SP Marais, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Dean Muir, 17 JC Janse ven Rensburg, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 George Whitehead, 23 EW Viljoen.
Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Curtis Rona, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Tom Staniforth, 3 Paddy Ryan, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Shambeckler Vui, 19 Nick Palmer, 20 Jed Holloway, 21 Mitch Short, 22 Bryce Hegarty, 23 Alex Newsome.
